At what point do they call off the search for MH370?

[itsrobert]

A month? 6 months? 1 year, 10 years, never?

[CincyDem]

1. Someone will be looking for it until it's found. Think Emilia Arhart n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. They searched for Air France 447 for two years.

So I don't see them giving up any time soon.

[former9thward]

3. The wreckage from Air France was found within 18 hours.

The did not recover the black boxes for a couple years.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. They found part of the rudder soon after the accident, but all that told them

was that the airplane probably didn't explode in flight. They continued to look for the rest of the airplane, including the FDR and the CVR, for two years. In other words, the search continued. Finding part of the tail section meant only that they had a general idea of where the plane went down and that it was probably intact when it hit the water; nevertheless they could not stop looking until they found the "black" boxes because they needed them to determine the cause of the accident.

If they find some crash debris from this accident, they will continue to search until they find something that tells them what happened. And that could take years, just like AF447.

[sufrommich]

4. As long as there is some question as to

whether it crashed or made it somewhere safety,they'll look for it.

[meadowlark5]

6. If they suspect the plane was hijacked/stolen for nefarious purposes

I don't think they will stop looking.

Since it was deliberately flown off course and no sign of wreckage, I would think it very important to keep investigating till they can get an idea of what happened. If that plane was stolen to fly into some building to kill a lot of people, it would be pretty negligent to not continue investigating.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. They need to keep looking no matter what they think happened.

If there might have been a defect in the airplane they need to know that, too. That's as important as a possible hijacking because there are a lot of 777s out there (it now appears that there was no mechanical problem, but that's not known for sure yet) . Either way, they can't stop looking until they know why this airplane disappeared.

[meadowlark5]

14. Right

I don't think they ever will stop looking. Maybe if too much time goes by there won't be all of the countries involved like there is now, but someone will continue to work on it.

[undeterred]

7. Never.

[Jack for Sanders]

8. When they find it.

It's always in the last place you look.

[GP6971]

9. Never

Think the insurance companies will pay out without knowing what happened? Not a chance and it will be another cruel hardship the families will have to endure.

[YarnAddict]

10. I don't think there's a choice

As long as there is any possibility that the plane may be used for a terrorist attack, they need to keep looking.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. They need to keep looking no matter what the reason might have been.

[YarnAddict]

13. True, but

the possibility of another 9/11-style attack with thousands of lives at stake provides added incentive.

[morningfog]

15. When we know two things:

That all passengers are accounted for and (2) that the plane cannot be used as a weapon.

[PlanetaryOrbit]

16. Never, until it's found.

The search may scale down but not stop.